 wonderfully made and we are so glad that you're joining us for hope today because we love to spend this time to encourage you to edify and uplift your spirit. We're so happy it's Friday and I'm so glad it is a girls day here so I've lived here with Angela and Anna and Anna tell us about what we're talking about today because we're going in deep talking about the ladies today. So you surely are as women as believers really we're taught that God has given us a spirit of love and a sound mind we may know this truth but how do we live into it and become victorious over fear worry and negative thinking well our guest Tara Lynn St. Allen is no stranger to the battle she joins us in just a few minutes to share her personal struggles and how she along with each of us can live victoriously over any debilitating emotion. Angela it is a powerful thing when we get that victory to overcome fear worry and anxiety. Yeah we're called as believers to live from that place right he didn't go to the cross suffer die rise again for us to live defeated but he went there that we may be victorious and so today we hope that as we're talking with Tara Lynn whatever it is that's on your plate whatever worry you came with maybe you woke up this morning and you feel really anxious from a dream you had or a thought of the things from the past or what your future holds today God wants you to know you are victorious he holds your future and he's holding you you know Sydney I think that this is a space for all of us that we can go have ebbs and flows of sitting in worry and sometimes feeling truly victorious on top of the hill yeah you know one of my words this year that God spoke to me when I turned 35 as he said this was the year of victory and I've just been standing on that everywhere I go I see victory and we have a God he's a God of victory that you know one of my favorite words are favorite names of the names of God is Adonai Sabad it means the Lord God our warrior it is in the Bible to the story of David and Goliath is that's what God like David called upon God so today whatever you're battling whatever you're facing if the stabilitating thoughts if you're feeling that anxiousness like Angela was just bringing up whatever it may be know that you have a God that is for you know that you've a God that's walking in the midst of whatever situation and circumstance that you're going through and know that he's a God of victory and sometimes you know I like to rehearse the victory sometime Anna where I look back at like okay if you did this before I know you're gonna do it again and there's nothing that can hold me back and there's nothing that isn't too impossible that's right he stands at the beginning and the end of all things he is our warrior and I just believe that this is a day that he is calling us as women as the church to rise up to come to the battle lines because guess what we too are warriors for Christ to have the victory and overcome anything that the devil throws our way so today we get to talk about reigning supreme over your inner world that means if you're battling fear anxiety or negative thinking this conversation is for you our guest Tara Lynn St. Allen joins us to share from her own struggles and how she gained victory through the power of God's word so Tara Lynn welcome to hope today thank you I'm so happy to be here well I just have to start off by sharing a little bit of who you are because it's very cool we love when we have young people with us you are a millennial you're also a fashion editor for Cosmopolitan magazine and you were crowned Miss Black New Jersey in 2018 and so you just come with like some very unique experiences and you get to inspire women to live big to dream big and walk in all that God has for them and your book is called she reigns and it's conquering your triggers fears worries from God with God's truth so tell us like what compelled you to write this book now life literally just life oh my goodness so I signed a three-book note when I was 23 I had no idea what those books were going to be about I just knew my mission is to show women their crowns in Christ and so when I did those other ones I was like okay yay like let's do this and then for the third one I was like what am I going to talk about like I don't understand God like what you want me to say in this one and um it was it was just so funny how it happened because out of nowhere there were just obstacles after obstacles and just like so many attacks and I was like okay God I see what you're doing here you want me to talk about how to have a renewed mind and he definitely revealed that to me in 2020 when I did my first Daniel fast ever and there's such a long story behind it but I just knew like this was so necessary for this time I know not only just for me but for all women out there yeah I loved that you shared just how the book really did flow out of such a hard testing period and you shared to just some confessions of fears and anxieties like I feel like from people that are watching you you would come across as like not ever struggling with fears or insecurities or any of those worries can you share a bit about your personal struggles and your confessions yes so I'll start with the very first one that I mentioned and then everybody else you guys could go read the book and find out um but the first one that I talk about is that I didn't come to Christ because I loved him and that like I just desired him I came to Christ and you know I was saved because I was terrified of just the concept of hell and during my my just my personal journey with God like he showed me that my testimony is now that I see him as a loving father not just the God who condemns and judge like judges like now I learn I have learned that he judges in my favor and that changed everything for me because I used to think I didn't have a testimony I used to think that my mother's testimony was mine she's been ill for majority of my life and I have seen how the Lord has shown love to her and so I was just like okay well she has it I believe that it's there and I see how he shows up for her and you know God is good I was taught like you know I was royalty since I was a little kid but like I didn't really experience him until like I just developed that intimate connection yeah you shared that a lot of times freedom from fears and anxiety is found by correcting our view of God and having that right personal relationship with him so for somebody who's watching today that maybe just gets their idea of who God is from the world things that they've heard instead of who he is in scripture how would you encourage and speak that truth into their heart I encourage you to just go into the word just dive in I know it could be really difficult because it's like where do I begin but even if you just start with a google search of just like what does God say about me I created a list of biblical affirmations for queens that's what I called it and it was so funny how it happened because again I was going through a rough time in my life at the time it was like a breakup in 2018 and I remember um getting dressed up for my birthday and I sat down in a chair that was in a restaurant and it literally it just looked like a throne and I remember that like for everyone who sat in that chair they felt like royalty and so when I sat down to write about I was writing a blog post I was like what should I talk about like for this year like what encouragement can I give um and I reflected I saw the picture again I was like ooh queen dump like definitely I could do that and um God just gave me the idea to create biblical affirmations and to show um the world really that when it comes from the word it is so much more powerful truly his word um just covers all and um when we begin to repeat it over ourselves declare it over our lives definitely things change and I remember creating a video on youtube about it and it has done so well and I still receive testimonies to this day I love that because it is the truth and the power of God's word and how he speaks into us about how he sees us how he looks at us delights in us and sings over us and just loves us with everything that he is and so in the industry that you're in with fashion and modeling and also your background and pageantry um the I'm wondering how much you have struggled with comparison comparing yourself to other women so can you talk a little bit how you have found freedom from that yes so I wouldn't say that I find comparison in that arena because I'm like okay cool like I know who I am I knew I like I know who God created me to be um but it wasn't until oh my gosh again such a rough rough time and it was during the pandemic oh my goodness when I tell you I was like what is going on with my mind there's so much in here and so I talked to God about it and he showed me how to mute like literally how to put my mind on mute how to do it on social media as well because that's where comparison was beginning to come in uh so though I wouldn't say I struggle with that in regards to like fashion and media I would say definitely I struggled with that when it came to seeing other Christian influencers because at the time I was doing more so of that and my brand was a gordon armor and not I am Tara Lynn not the rebrand and I was just very confused asked it like I was like God like they post in fluff and I'm talking about like the nitty gritty and I'm just like who's here like nothing is like working I don't get it and I know that you're telling me like it just matters if you reach that one person and I know that but like when is my breakthrough and so I like he taught me basically just keep your eyes keep my eyes on him and yeah that has been the key for me to like overcoming any form of comparison yeah well keeping our eyes fixed on him yeah you know Tara Lynn when you were just talking about you know going through the pandemic because are you you're in are you in New York City yes I was in New York City at the time New Jersey yeah New Jersey but that whole area so I just like I have friends good friends that were during the pandemic I mean it was a really really rough time that like what you were walking through and like going through and just when you were talking about that point of breakthrough and just going through a hard season but I like what you said is something you had to put your mind on mute and fix your eyes on him so can you talk to us a little bit about some of the scriptures or how even you had to like still your spirit before the Lord and just really focus on him when all your world is just being turned upside down and you can't control things that are happening yes there are so many definitely the piece I give to you that verse that talks about it's not about what the world gives but what the Father can give to us the Prince of Peace but also I in the book of Isaiah the Lord talks about if you keep your mind on me if you're fixated on me if you have your gaze on me then I will give you perfect peace and that changed the game for me completely and again I came across I mean I've heard that verse before but I remember when I was fasting I was just laying down on my bed and I'm like I'm bored you know it's a pandemic I'm doing this Daniel fast what else do you want me to do like I'm listening to a podcast trying to figure out other ways I could spend time with him and I remember I was like you know what God I'm just going to I'm going to sleep I have none to do so I was like laying down and at the time I wasn't sleeping in my own room I was sleeping in my grandmother's room and so I turned over on my pillow and I saw on the wall that verse and I was just like wow okay I hear you I see you and I desire that perfect piece and so another area that you speak into that I think is so relevant especially for millennials and honestly even up through like I'm Gen X is the topic of purity we've come out of purity culture and so share a little bit about how the world sees purity and what you have found God says about purity so oftentimes the world and even just Christian culture we see purity as just perfection but I've learned that that is not what God is calling us to be in fact like when we are in him he is made perfect like you know in us he's already perfect you know but the more we seek him the more we will find him and that also includes in us and so when I talk about purity I'm just talking about having a heart that chases God having a mind that is fixated on him just desiring to want to serve him in spirit and in truth and he does the purification process of the beautiful beautification process as well it is not something that we can do on our own and it's not even just like the outward things like it's stuff that is on the inside God will with no what would he do he will reveal right he will reveal it in us and will show us how to transform from the inside out amen and then you had a shift that you talk about where God's word truly became power for your life can you unpack what is the shift and how can someone apply it yes okay so the acronyms that's another thing but I'll just say like the overall the shift is repentance it truly is I believe that we're living in a culture um we're very unapologetic about a lot of things um but repentance isn't even just that it's a turning away it's the changing of the mind it's going to God and saying like forgive me and help me to go in the way that you want for me and so I just believe it's incredibly important that we are always drawn to repentance so that he could also lead us into deliverance so in the last couple minutes that we have can you just speak into um into your generation who might be watching or women who might be watching what truth do you want to leave them with today so to you I say your life matters you have a purpose and God has a perfect perfect plan for you you don't need to look to the right to the left you don't need to see what was done before you you just need to know that God is for you he is not against you he's fighting for you and he is waiting for you to step into your royal calling as an overcomer that's good stuff Tara Lynn thank you for living into who God has made you to be and inspiring women to continue to grow into who God made them to be thanks for being with us thank you all right well we're going to take a quick break but when we come back we've got some of that powerful God's word for you cornerstone television exists to spread the good news through bible-based programs and a fully staffed prayer line through ctv and lies are saved hearts minds and bodies are healed and Jesus is lifted high we can't do this work without you would you consider sending a gift this month to keep the gospel moving forward with power when you give we'll send you listen love repeat which presents scriptural examples of those who lived alert including Jesus who noticed those who least expected to be seen gives creative ideas for showing love to friends and family suggests practical ways to reach out to the lonely marginalized outcast helps you comfort the grieving and so much more ask for your copy of listen love repeat when you give today call 888-665-4483 or go to ctvn.org slash donate thank you for your generosity hope happens here today as we dive into the scripture we're going to go to isaia 26 verse 3 you will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you all whose thoughts are fixed on you today and every day there is not a time that you can take your gaze away from God and maintain and remain in peace you know this morning as we came driving into the studio I kept having this impression this feeling that there was someone who is truly in a desperate state and you feel lost without hope and I don't know what it is that you're facing I'm not there with you but there is a God who sees and he knows and he is with you in the thick of it in the dust and the dirtiness of it and in the mess of it and if you just take your gaze off of all that you see is hopeless and look to the one who is hope just fix your eyes on Jesus see him on that cross and resurrected when you do that this is what this scripture promises when you simply take a moment and fix your eyes on the king of glory perfect peace will flood you he is shalom the peace that comes that men's that makes you whole incomplete even if your circumstance hasn't changed right away he will come in like a flood filling you with hope peace and encouragement God is true and he is faithful to his word I can tell you and I know Sydney and Anna can say the same every single one of us has had moments where we felt hopeless but when we fix our gaze on Jesus his peace came in like a hurricane and filled us with hope that we needed for just the next moment for just the next day and as you continue to go back to that river to that well that never runs dry each day will get filled with more and more of him and like I said even if your circumstances Sydney don't change right away he changes everything within you and I just feel I really really felt this morning that there is someone who needs to know that you do matter and God sees you and he is with you today thank you so much for just like what holy spirit put on your heart of just like God seeing you and something that you said angel that was so powerful that his peace is like a hurricane that comes rushing in and you know one thing when you're just talking about this peace of God I remember I was going through such a season when there was no peace in my life everything just feel like it was falling apart there was even moments there was a season where I just wanted to end it all and maybe that's you today maybe it's like you're ashamed to say that you know what I've been dealing and battling with these thoughts of suicide I've been dealing with these thoughts of hopelessness I've been dealing with these thoughts of depression and I just don't know what to do right now and I'm really afraid and can I tell you that God is in the midst of that situation and all you have to do even if you're in your living room right now wherever you are is take a moment and to pause to cry out to him and even in that season I just remember I was driving at one point and this song came on if you should go go on youtube and check it out it like she completely wrecked my world and I just remember weeping and I was crying and it's why Anna gold and it's called peace and she was just talking about the peace even in the midst of the chaos and the midst of everything that you're walking and you're going through but the most powerful thing she said and I had a revelation because I never saw it this way in angela you said it peace is a person and his name is jesus you have to get a revelation at peace it's not this feeling and it's not this sensation but it's when jesus is inside of us and it's the peace that surpasses all understanding the hope of glory he's within us he's moving in us and no matter what you're walking through I know it's some people are going through so much hell in their lives right now but can I we just want to encourage you today if you were on your last rope if you feel like I'm not raining I don't feel like my crown is tilted we're just picking up your crown today we're shifting it over to remind you of who god has called you to be and he has a purpose and he has a plan up for your life and he wants to deliver you out of that pit of darkness and bring you into the light so if that's you today we don't want you to leave this program feeling like you're isolated feeling like you're alone give us a call at our prayer line I know the numbers on the screen at eight eight eight six six five four four eight three Anna what is on your thoughts and I'm thinking of the scripture where Jesus says my peace I give you my peace I leave with you you see Jesus is our peace and as we bring him in close to us as we hide ourselves in him as we immerse our mind and our heart everything that we are as we immerse it in Jesus that is where our peace is and I so love that we're talking about the the times in our lives where we're walking through hell on earth like not only do you feel broken or shattered but you feel like your life has been blown into like literal dust and like can Jesus actually do something with the dust of my life well if you remember a way back in that first book of Genesis God took the dust of the earth and he breathed on it and he breathed his breath of life and he created man and he created woman and it was right there at the very beginning that God decided well I mean before he even created them he decided that he wanted a relationship with his beautiful creation he said they are very good so friends today know that God wants that personal relationship with you because he knows this world has been hard and he wants to put you back together again he wants to show you the masterpiece that you are he wants to show you that purpose that he infused in you before he even made this earth so today if you've never given your life to Jesus this is your time it is only in Jesus where you will find your best and your real life all you have to do is welcome him in as Savior and Lord repent of what you of your sins and he will make you whole and make you a new creation I love that you said you know he'll give us he wants my peace I leave to you my peace I give to you and you also hit on the dust because scripture says that he'll give us beauty for ashes he wants to give you the oil of joy for all of your sorrow he wants to give you dancing for all of your grieving and your pain he is the God of a great exchange so whatever ashes you're holding today whatever you're looking at the remnants the fragments of your life the fractured identity you're walking and whatever it is for you today he says when you give it to me I'll give you beauty today when you give it to me I'll give you joy in exchange for that it doesn't seem like a fair exchange rate but that's who he is and that's what he longs for so I know Sydney today God is looking and saying just give me the little bit of ashes you have that I can exceed it and give you beauty for all of your pain you know it's even when you're just talking about that like I know and I we're just like talking about in Genesis and the beauty and the ashes and how he put the dust but you know it's so beautiful it's like he breathes on the dust and there's a Hebrew word it's called Neshama it's like the divine essence of God breathe upon the dust and I wish there was a movie to see how that all came about like he just went it's amazing and did you even know that they say if you hear the listening to our breath it's like sounds like Yahweh it's like the words and the Hebrew language I mean literally as we're breathing we are every time we breathe like all a creation is breathing it is Yahweh it is the breath of God it's the divine essence of God it's the beauty of God everything he's doing he's breathing in you and when Anna said that everything he said it was good it's so interesting because literally yesterday I was in my prayer closet spending some time with Jesus and God gave spoke to me about the word tov that's what it says in Hebrew it means good do you know what tov means it means to be in harmony it means to be in tune with God so today we just want you to know that we have a good good father that when he's saying when he said it is good he was saying my creation my son and my daughter I'm breathing into you because I desire to be in harmony with you to do a dance to sing over you isn't that a beautiful picture of our God that he calls us to be in harmony and fellowship to be one with him and so today that is our greatest hope for you that you would be in one in sync in harmony with the heavenly father because that's the greatest hope that we have